Tears of Eros is an antique erotica curiosity shop in the heart of Paris. Open only by appointment, it is curated and run by Alexandre Dupouy. Alexandre has archived thousands of photographs, illustrations, books, ephemera and sexual objet d'art: hehas been collecting for over fifty years.

In 1975, an elderly gentleman contacted Alexandre and insisted on the two of them meeting to discuss something ‘special.’ The gentleman arrived with a collection of hundreds of photographs he had taken of sex workers in 1930s Paris. Box after box full of candid images of semi-nude women laughing, playing, posing and flashing the camera. They were taken inside a brothel on the Rue Pigalle, on the streets, in a car and alfresco in the surrounding countryside. The gentleman explained that wanted to pass on the collection before he died, on the strict condition he could remain anonymous. Alexandre agreed and the gentleman is now known only as ‘Monsieur X’. In 2014, Alexandre honoured Monsieur X’s request and published his collection as a book; Mauvaises filles: Portraits de prostituées 1925-1935.

The images were taken over a ten-year period, roughly 1925-35, when sex work was legal and regulated by the state. Brothels had been state registered since 1804 when Napoleon ordered fortnightly inspections of all registered sex workers. The Maisons de tolérance were usually run by women, had to comply with state regulations and, above all, were to be discreet.The early twentieth century was the heyday of the luxury Parisian brothel. Some of the most famous and elite establishments included le Chabanais (patronised by Edward VII), le Sphinx, le Montyon, le One Two Two, and Hotel Marigny (a gay brothel). The Maisons de tolerance photographed by Monsieur X were not this exclusive, but were certainly a cut above many Parisian establishments. After the second world war, Marthe Richard, a town councillor in Paris and former street sex worker, campaigned for the closure of all maisons. On 13 April 1946, the "loi de Marthe Richard" act was passed, and the legal brothels were closed.

The Archive of Monsieur X is an exceptionally rare collection that offers a glimpse into a private and long forgotten world. The images capture more than the sexuality of the women, they show warmth, wit, comradeship and laughter. We are extremely grateful to Alexandre for allowing us to host some of these precious images here.

If you would like to reproduce any of the images here, please contact Alexandre directly. You can purchase the edited collection of images here, and make facebook friends with Tears of Eroshere.